Industrial Rehabilitation

Work Ready Concept - 5 Phase Program

The Work Ready Concept is a Five Phase program designed to reduce the employer costs by finding the right worker for the job and then educating and preparing them to perform their essential job functions efficiently and safely. The Work Ready Concept stresses worker self-responsibility for their own health and well being by giving them the tools and education to self manage the aches and pains that come with a physically demanding job. We also have a program to address the administrative worker and their unique challenges of sustained postures and ergonomics. This program was designed by Frank Gargano PT, DPT, OCS, MCTA, CWT, a nationally recognized orthopedic expert.

To contact Frank, email frank@rehabilitex.com or call (440) 498-9723.

Download the informational white paper on the WorkReady Concept: Are Your Employees WorkReady?

Program Benefits:

Research based, reliable and objective data regarding your client/patient capabilities and limitations.
Reduced burden on HR and the medical team by providing objective information to assist with hiring, return to work, maximum medical improvement (MMI) and termination decisions.

Services Available:

Workability Job Analysis (web-based program)

A WorkAbility Job Analysis is an interactive analysis process with employee involvement that identifies functional elements and physical demands of job tasks using the WorkAbility eJobMatch web-based reporting platform. Issues that may prompt referral for this service include:

Design of safe and productive work methods or controls to lower injury rates.

Validate fitness-for-duty screening methods for job-applicants and workers.

Identify safe work tasks & accommodation options to promote return to productive work.

Standard components of a WorkAbility Job Analysis include:

Job Title, Location, Cross-references, Summary

Environmental Conditions/Work Schedule Issues

Transitional Work Program Summary

Medical Screening/Qualifications

Job Tasks/Functions and Functional Task Elements/Step

Materials/Tools/Equipment Used to Perform Tasks

Functional Analysis of Task Demands With Worker Input and Force Measurement

Images and video clips may be included to illustrate equipment and work methods.

Physical Demands Summary and Operational Definitions

WorkAbility Job Analysis data is managed in the WorkAbility eJobMatch System to support global access for worker-job match and job safety analysis. This innovative software solution…

Matches worker capabilities to job demands in a web-based HIPPA-compliant platform;

Links employers, insurers and providers for more effective injury prevention and medical management; and

Supports job placement decisions, transitional work programs, job-specific rehab planning, and design of safety and risk management strategies.

To view an example of a Job Analysis click here.

WorkAbility Fitness Screen

Businesses are realizing that healthier employees are more productive and less costly. The key challenge in implementing cost-effective worker screening and health promotion programs is how to structure services in a manner that ensures safe job placement and motivates employees that would benefit most from healthier lifestyles.

A WorkAbility Fitness Screen (WFS) is an objective screen of musculoskeletal health, physical fitness, and job-specific workabilities. This is initially administered after a contingent job-offer is made. It establishes a baseline of physical fitness and determines an applicant’s suitability for physical job demands to prevent fraudulent claims, unnecessary healthcare, and needless work disability. The WFS includes a baseline health history and measurement of:

Vitals (seated heart rate, pulse oximetry, respiratory rate, and blood pressure)
Anthropometric measures of body mass index (weight, height, and abdominal girth)
Quick screen of functional range-of-motion/flexibility
Near and far vision screen
Finger dexterity/wrist-finger speed (Sedentary or Light physical demands)
Total-body manual dexterity (Medium or higher physical demands)
Grip/pinch/pull strength
Agility/dynamic balance
Sub-maximal 8” step test of aerobic capacity (when appropriate).
Job-specific lift/carry tests

Workability job analysis is required to validate any hiring cut-scores. WorkAbility eJobMatch provides employers with HIPPA-secured web-access to WorkAbility Summary reports that reference only the applicants’ specific workabilities compared to job demands. Applicants that are NOT cleared for FULL DUTY may be reviewed for job accommodation feasibility if they qualify for additional employment consideration based on disability or other protected status. This WorkAbility Fitness Screen may be repeated when necessary to update the employee’s physical fitness profile and work abilities in response to specific issues such as:

Worker reports physical symptoms or difficulty in response to assigned work duties.
Worker is released to FULL DUTY after a 30-day or longer absence due to lay-off, work-related injury, non-occupational injury/illness, or FMLA leave.
Workers that have been on LIMITED DUTY for 30 or more days.

Re-administration of the WorkAbility Fitness Screen in response to any of the above issues helps to ensure safe, ongoing job placement. An ERGO Accommodation Study may be needed to assess feasibility of worker accommodation.

**Download: The Evolution of Post Offer Fitness Screens: Guidelines for Program Development

Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCE)

This completely mobile FCE is a comprehensive evaluation that provides valid and reliable information on the functional abilities of an injured worker. It requires up to 4 hours to complete the evaluation. It is safe, efficient, and the most comprehensive measurement of an employee's physical abilities. The standardized procedures allow for safe, gradual increases in workload during analysis. Cooperation and effort of the client is addressed.

These comprehensive evaluations provide valuable information used to determine:

A client's degree of impairment

Any permanent restrictions for job placement

Need for negotiation of disability

Safe work restrictions

Transitional work assignment

Impact on life activities

Vocational planning needs.

A comprehensive report is provided with the easy to read results and recommendations summarized on a single page.

Ergonomic Job Safety Analysis (EJSA) and Consultation

An EJSA is an interactive, ergonomic analysis of how an applicant or worker's restrictions impact safe job performance, with recommendations for temporary or permanent job accommodations. Issues that may prompt referral include:

Supporting documentation is requested to help render a final hiring or job placement decision for a disabled applicant or worker.
Determine feasibility of accommodations to address worker barriers to safe and productive job performance.
Evaluate readiness of a disabled worker to return to full or temporary, modified duty.
To evaluate whether the injured worker is likely to benefit from continued participation in the company’s transitional work program.

Standard components of an EJSA include:

Mechanism of injury/health history
Current work and lifestyle restrictions/functional capacities
Job performance concerns/barriers
Work methods and functional job demands (WorkAbility Job Analysis)
Ergonomic risk factors/hazards present
Job safety history (OSHA, BWC claims)
Research to identify reasonable accommodation options
WorkAbility Summary that clarifies limiting health conditions/accommodation options.

If worker restrictions are unclear, then the EJSA may additionally include limited functional capacity tests with an emphasis on content validity to measure the evaluee’s ability to perform the physical demands of specific job options. Our completely mobile exam process eliminates transportation barriers and is time-efficient for both the worker and employer representatives.

REHABIILITEX has been successfully providing Industrial Rehabilitation Services since 1996.